Heating pad for brooders and hovers



March 1, 1949., i B OLSQN 2,463,301

HEATING PAD FOR BROODERS AND HOVERS Filed April 3, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l N nm 0 Y Jx m5 5 w m M M m5 7 5w x 0 March 1, l949. QLsQN HEATING PAD FOR BROODERS AND'HOVERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 3, 1946 INVENTOR. JOHN B 0L5 ON ATTO NE) Patented Mar. 1, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEATING PAD FOR BROODERS AND .HOVERS John B. Olson, Fort Atkinson, Wis., assignor to James Manufacturing Company, Fort Atkinson, Wis., 21. company of Wisconsin Application April 3, 1946,. Serial No. 659,347

2 Claims. 1.

The present invention relates to a heatingpad adapted for heating brooders and hovers and has for its principal object providing a device of the character which is simple, light, easily attached and can be manufactured at low cost.

Objects of the present invention are to provide a heating pad comprising a rectangular shaped frame with an insulating cover and having within the box thus formed, a coiled resistance wire, the resistance wire being a distance above the bottom of the frame and the frame having on the bottom edge a non-heat resisting screen or cloth cover to protect the mechanism within the box from dust, etc.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an off and on switch adapted to be operated by an elongated bi-metal element, with this element positioned parallel and in proximity to a portion of the coil of the resistance wire, to thereby provide a current controlling device which is very sensitive and positive in its action.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a unitary controlling device which projects into an opening in a frame member and having an outer plate which lies on the frame and is easily attached and detached and adapted to position the bi-metal plate adjacent a portion of the coiled resistance wire.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bracket having insulated binding posts, one end of the resistance wire being connected to one of the posts and the other to the other post. The wires from the unitary controlling device being also connected to these posts whereby by simply loosening these last wires and the plate from the frame member, the unitary controlling device may be removed from the frame.

An object of the present invention is to provide the unitary device with a flexible cord set of sufiicient length and having a socket on its free end for a plug-in connection to the electric current supply.

Still further objects of the present invention are to provide a unitary controlling device with a pilot light and temperature indicator thereon, whereby the operator can conveniently observe whether or not the heating element is in operation and what the temperature is within the pad.

To these and other useful ends my invention consists of parts, combinations of parts or their equivalents and mode of operation as hereinafter described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a bottom view ofmy improved heating pad.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the pad showing fractions of the supporting strips of-canvas.

Fig. 3 is an end sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Fig. l is an end view of the device on which controlling mechanism is mounted.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the controlling mechanism as viewed from the outside.

Fig. 6 is a top view of the device showniin Figure 5.

Fig. '7 is an inside view of the device as shown in Figures 5 and 6.

As thus illustrated the frame of my device comprises side members 88 and end members 9 and ill having a cover I I. Members 8, 9, Ill and H may be made from wood or any other heat resisting material.

I provide a cloth l2 and a screen.l.3.as a bottom closure for the box and being held in position by strips lilwhich are preferably nailed temporarily to members 8, 9 and I0. I preferably provide a metal covering Hi, the lower edges of which .are folded over members M as illustrated in Figure 3, these edges being then secured to theassembly by means of screws or nails 15.

On members It! I removably mount a heat controlling device which in its entirety is designated by reference character B as follows:

On the ends of the pad which is in its entirety designated by reference character A, I provide two canvas supporting strips l8l8 which are similarly arranged to the canvas strips in Patent No. 2,292,981,,April 11, 1942, Willett. Thusmembers iii are used forraising and lowering the pad and holding it at predetermined heights.

I provide an insulating strip 25 which is supported on member H by means of a suitable bracket and having binding posts 26 and 21. I provide a coiled resistance Wire 28, one end of which is secured topost 2'! and the other end .to post 26 and extending through insulators 29 and 30 so that it is held in the position shown by dotted lines in Figure 1. This wire is of a length and size so the brooder or hover will be maintained at a desirable temperature adjacent the pad by being in circuit approximately one half the time. In other Words heating is done on the on and off principle and controlled by a thermally controlled device which in entirety is designated by reference character B. This device is mounted on a holding plate 35 and having mounted thereon all of the controlling mechanism including a pilot light 36, thermometer 31 and a plate 38, the pilot light being mounted on a socket 39.

An extension cord 40 has a plug-in socket 4! (not shown) at its free end. Wire 42 extends into socket 39, and wire 43 extends to a switch 44. The other wire 45 extends from switch id to socket 39, wires 42 and 45 having suitable connections in the socket for the light bulb and at their free ends to binding clips 45 and 47.

Switch 44 is secured to a bracket 48, this bracket being pivoted to a supporting bracket 49 as at 50. On the opposite end from pivot 59 a bolt is provided having a nut 52. Bolt 5! extends through the bottom of member 2 8 and a spring 53 surrounds bolt 5|; one end resting on member 35 and the other end against the bottom of member 48. Thus the spring will hold bolt head 53 snugly against plate 38, so that the free end of member 48 may be adjusted in its position.

A bi-metal element 69 is secured to member 49 by means of bolts (ii-El. Member 63 is designed to its free end when subject to heat will move toward switch 44. This switch is provided with a protruding pin 52 which when contacted with sufficient force will open the switch and when member 60 is sufficiently cooled it will move away from pin 62 and permit the switch to be closed again.

It will be seen that bulb 36 is connected to wires 42 and 45 so the bulb will be operated when the switch is closed to indicate that the heating coil is in operation and the bulb will be disconnected when the switch is opened; thus the operator can determine at a glance whether the heating coil is in operation or not because the heating coil is connected to wires 42 and 45 as follows:

Clips 46 and 41 are secured to binding posts 21 and 26; thus the .bi-metal element 60 Will control the heat under the pad on the on and off principle; and for example, to increase the heat all that is necessary is to turn screw head 53 clockwise and to reduce the temperature under the pad this screw head may be turned anti-clockwise, Thus because of the structure as already described, the control of the temperature is definite and easily operated by an ordinary intelligent person. Thermometer 37 is always in view and after one is advised of the best temperature for the chicks it is therefore only a matter of moving the head 53 so as to reduce or increase the temperature.

One of the important features of applicants device is the fact that the resistance wire 28 between members 25 and 29 is held taut and parallel to member 60 and a short distance away from this member; thus the control of the switch operation iis definite and accurate because the bi-metal element parallels the heating element and is in close proximity thereto.

Clearly many minor detailed changes may be made in the design shown without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as recited in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising, a rectangular frame, having a closure panel at one side and being positioned horizontally and with the closure at the top, a resistance coil supported on said panel Within the frame, an opening in said frame and a plate removably attached to the frame and adapted to cover said opening from the outside, a bracket mounted on the inner side of said plate, a bi-metal plate anchored at one end to said bracket and being arranged parallel to and a short distance from a portion of said resistance coil and between the coil and the frame, a switch positioned a short distance from said bi-metal plate and beinli. hinged at one end to said bracket and having a projection adapted to be contacted by the free end of said bi-metal member for opening the switch, whereby the temperature under the device will be controlled on the on and Orr principle, said switch being pivoted at one end to said bracket, the other end havin a nut with a bolt which extends through said plate, a spring on said bolt adapted to urge the free end of said switch member toward said bi-metal member whereby the bolt may be turned from the exterior of the device for moving said projection toward and from the free end of said bi-metal member, a flexible cord having at its free end a plug-in socket, the other end extending through said plate, one wire of the cord being connected to one pole of said switch and the other wire being removably connected to one end of said resistance coil, the other pole of said switch being connected to the other end of said resistance coil.

2. A device as recited in claim 1 including, the connection between said wires and resistance coil comprising, a bracket anchored to said closure, binding posts on said last bracket, each having a connection to an end of said resistance coil and a removable connection to an end of said wires, a pilot light and a thermometer mounted on said plate and being observable from the outside of the device, the pilot light having a connection to the wires leading to said binding posts whereby the pilot light will be in circuit when the switch is closed and whereby by disconnecting the wires from said binding post the plate and parts attached thereto may be removed.

JOHN B. OLSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,386,569 Herd Aug. 2, 1921 1,904,786 Hawkins Apr. 18, 1933 2,109,163 Carlson Feb. 22, 1938 

